We asked several hundred students about which study strategies they used on a regular basis. The top 11 answers are on the board.

1. Re-reading Practice Problems Flashcards4. Rewrite Notes5. Study groups6. Memorize 7. Mnemonics/rhymes 8. Make review sheet 9. Self-test10. Highlight Think of Real world examples 11. Must utilized student study-strategies

1. Re-reading2. Practice Problems3. Flashcards4. Rewrite Notes5. Study groups6. Memorize 7. Mnemonics/rhymes 8. Make review sheet 9. Self-test10. Highlight 11. Think of Real world examples Must utilized student study-strategies

Karpicke, Jeffrey D., Andrew C. Butler, and Henry L. Roediger III. "Metacognitive strategies in student learning: do students practise retrieval when they study on their own?." Memory 17.4 (2009): Retrieved at Top 10 study-strategies by students at Washington University in St. Louis 2009

Jigsaw or peer teaching of of study strategies (Pass out folders with excerpts of Dunlosky et al., A review article discussing the relative utility of different study strategies. The one-pagers are pretty much verbatim snippets, attempting to condense several pages of each section into a single page. As a result, the writing doesn’t flow very well...)

Excerpted from Dunlosky, John, et al. "Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology."Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14.1 (2013): Which strategies work best?

Dunlosky, John, et al. "Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology."Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14.1 (2013): Retrieved at Karpicke, Jeffrey D., Andrew C. Butler, and Henry L. Roediger III. "Metacognitive strategies in student learning: do students practise retrieval when they study on their own?." Memory 17.4 (2009): Retrieved at The most effective strategies are rarely preferred by students. Listed as the #1 strategy by students Recall Practice (Self- testing) High7% Self ExplanationMediumN/A SummarizingLow-Medium4% RewritingLow12% RereadingLow55% HighlightingLow2% More than two thirds of students report using a low utility strategy as their #1 study habit.

Excerpted from Dunlosky, John, et al. "Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology."Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14.1 (2013): It’s really true: Reviewing, re-reading, or restudying is much less effective than self-testing and recall practice.

Provide supporting stories from the book: Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDanielHarvard University Press Some extra slides with figures from the Dunlosky review article follow...

Excerpted from Dunlosky, John, et al. "Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology."Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14.1 (2013): The effects of some techniques are more important when the assessments are more realistic. Similar results regardless of study strategy Most ‘innovative’ study strategy is much more effective in the abstract application task.

Excerpted from Dunlosky, John, et al. "Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology."Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14.1 (2013): Everyone benefits from practice tests, though they work even better for some people and some types of problems.

Excerpted from Dunlosky, John, et al. "Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology."Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14.1 (2013): Practice tests pay off in the end, even when you have poorer performance on the practice tests. Mixing up the practice problems to be different types helps improve test performance. Bean bag toss

It helps to space out practice sessions (i.e., don’t cram) Practice tests pay off in the end, even when you have poorer performance on the practice tests.

Student Version:

We asked several hundred students about which study strategies they used on a regular basis. The top 11 answers are on the board.

1. Re-reading Practice Problems Flashcards4. Rewrite Notes5. Study groups6. Memorize 7. Mnemonics/rhymes 8. Make review sheet 9. Self-test10. Highlight Think of Real world examples 11. Must utilized student study-strategies

Karpicke, Jeffrey D., Andrew C. Butler, and Henry L. Roediger III. "Metacognitive strategies in student learning: do students practise retrieval when they study on their own?." Memory 17.4 (2009): Retrieved at Students use a range of study strategies. Here is a list from 2009: % of survey respondents Number of survey respondents

Jigsaw or peer teaching of of study strategies (Pass out folders with strategies)

Dunlosky, John, et al. "Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology."Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14.1 (2013): Retrieved at Karpicke, Jeffrey D., Andrew C. Butler, and Henry L. Roediger III. "Metacognitive strategies in student learning: do students practise retrieval when they study on their own?." Memory 17.4 (2009): Retrieved at But the most effective strategies are rarely preferred by students. Listed as the #1 strategy by students Recall Practice (Self- testing) High7% Self ExplanationMediumN/A SummarizingLow-Medium4% RewritingLow12% RereadingLow55% HighlightingLow2% More than two thirds of students report using a low utility strategy as their #1 study habit.

Excerpted from Dunlosky, John, et al. "Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology."Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14.1 (2013): It’s really true: Reviewing, re-reading, or restudying is much less effective than self-testing and recall practice.

Student handouts (printed double-sided)

What it isMarking sections of text with a highlighter or underlining. Why it "should" work As you read, you evaluate each idea to decide its relative importance. Selecting key ideas is a form of organizing knowledge. Why it doesn't work in reality Highlighting is often done passively so that you only briefly process the information, highlight it, and then forget it. On top of that, many people highlight too much information, indicating that they are not effectively evaluating and organizing the knowledge. Overall utilityLOW Highlighting

Highlighting doesn't actually help you distinguish the forest from the trees.

What it is Taking the time to re-read sections of text, your own notes, or Powerpoint slides, or other material from class periods. Why it "should" work Each time you re-read the text, you know more than you did the previous time. You might be able to build on this prior knowledge and connect new ideas from the chapter that didn't make sense before. Why it doesn't work in reality Passive re-reading may bring ideas back into short term memory. For this reason, re-reading may aid in traditional "cramming," but that information will be lost within hours. If none of the your gears were turning the first time you read something, it is unlikely that they will turn with subsequent readings. Re-reading takes forever and studies show has almost no benefit to recall. Overall utilityLOW Re-reading

Reading it again isn't going to magically get it in your head.

What it is Answering questions about the course material. Flash cards, chapter tests, instructor study guides, or even questions you make for yourself. Why it "should" work Practice makes perfect, so if you want to remember something you have to practice remembering it! How does that practice help with learning? Your brain grows new connections between neurons as you learn. The more you activate new knowledge, the more your brain adds a protein called myelin around this connection. Think of it like a path cutting across a lawn on a college campus. If you take it only once, nothing interesting happens. If you take it over and over again, the grass gets worn down, making the path easier to find. How to get the most out of self- testing First & foremost, use testing techniques that give you feedback. Flashcards and interactive online tutorials are obvious examples. Practice answering questions during study groups to get feedback from peers. After trying to answer a question from the end of a chapter, be sure to flip back to check to make sure you got all the key elements. Also, practice often – research is clear that small amounts of practice with spacing in between are much more effective than cramming all at once. Overall utility HIGH Self-testing

Recall practice (i.e., self-testing) solidifies pathways in your brain.

Practice makes perfect

What it is Summaries can be in the form of notes, written paragraphs, outlines, or even concept maps. They can be constructed during the first exposure to the information or afterwards. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to construct good summaries. Why it "should" work Successful summaries organize knowledge by identifying the main points of a text and capture the gist of it while excluding unimportant or repetitive material. Selecting the main ideas requires organizing the knowledge in a work. How to get the most out of summaries Taking notes during class is a form of summarizing, but it turns out to be less effective than trying to write a summary of key points after the class period is over. That's because notes can often just be verbatim copies of what was said without any of the effort at organizing the ideas. After a lesson is complete, summarizing information is a form of recall practice (basically, like a mini test). The same is true with concept maps. Try constructing a concept map after having read the chapter without looking at the chapter. Then, add details later that you missed. Overall utilityLOW - MEDIUM Summarizing

Summaries are more powerful when you try to construct them with the book closed. ("If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it." – Albert Einstein)

What it is "Self-explanation" is when you have to explain some aspect of your thinking during learning. Instead of simply solving a problem, you might talk about how you decided to solve it a certain way. Why it "should" work Reflecting on how you think is a key aspect of developing mastery. Experts constantly assess what they know, how they know it, and what they don't know. This process allows them to better build on their prior knowledge more effectively. Why it doesn't work in reality You are probably familiar with test questions that end with, "Why or why not?" Those questions are asking you to make a claim and explain your thought process that allowed you to reach it. you can ask yourself those questions all the time! When you study, think out loud (yes, talk to yourself!). Whenever you solve a problem, ask about why you chose a particular strategy. Do the same in study groups by asking your peers so that self-explanation becomes group-explanation! Overall utilityMEDIUM Self-explaining

Why? Socrates was a great teacher. Pretend to have Socrates in your head, constantly asking you questions.

What it is Students will sometimes recopy their notes or even entire textbook chapters in order to gain greater familiarity with the material. Why it "should" work Re-copying ensures a significant amount of time is invested and all material is viewed. The physical act of writing could help generate "motor memory." Why it doesn't work in reality Information is not forgotten because of lack of exposure to the ideas – it gets lost because it is not organized for easy recall in our brains. Re-writing does nothing to aid in organizing knowledge. It also gives no practice at recalling the information without using the orginal source. Overall utilityLOW Re-writing

Recopying creates an exact copy on paper, but puts nothing inside your head.

Faculty handouts Excerpts of Dunlosky et al., A review article discussing the relative utility of different study strategies. The one-pagers are pretty much verbatim snippets, attempting to condense several pages of each section into a single page. As a result, the writing doesn’t flow very well...